"There's a lot to be proud of"- Steve Tandy and Dewi Lake reacts to spirited performance against the All Blacks

Saturday, 22 November 2025 at 20:38

byHarry Tovey

As the Principality Stadium began to empty after Caleb Clarke’s brace with minutes left on the clock, there was a sense of satisfaction from a lot of the raucous home support.

There was pressure on Tandy’s side to at least make the game competitive on a damp and gloomy afternoon in the Welsh capital. Miraculously, they looked on track for their best performance of 2025. But it wasn’t to be in the end.

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Braces from Clarke and Sevu Reece were accompanied by tries from Ruben Love, Tamaiti Williams, and Rieko Ioane, with outside half Damian McKenzie superbly kicking 17 points from the tee.

New Zealand needed to respond well from last week’s agonising defeat against England at Twickenham.

Scroll down for Ruck Rugby’s talking points from Steve Tandy’s post-match press conference.

1- “There’s a lot to be proud of”-Tandy on spirited performance

Despite conceding 50 points for the third time this year in Cardiff, it was somehow one of Wales’ best outings of 2025.

Winger Tom Rogers, who was dropped from the 23 last week against Japan, created a little bit of history as the 26-year-old became the first Welshman to score a hat-trick against New Zealand.

Louis Rees-Zammit scored Wales’ fourth, but in the end it proved insufficient after the All Blacks quickly racked up the points in the closing stages.

This was helped by ill-discipline from Gareth Thomas, who was playing his first game of the autumn, and Taine Plumtree, who started for Wales for the first time this year.

“There’s lots to be proud of,” began Tandy.

“The tries were outstanding. There’s still things for us to work on.

“But in fairness to the group, the toughness they showed was good.

“It’s not the scoreboard we want. But it was a huge effort from the group.”

2-” It’s not a bad afternoon in all fairness”- Tandy on Rogers hat-trick

The 26-year-old winger is probably one of the many positives for Tandy’s side as he crossed for a hat-trick and created history.

After being dropped last week, the 26-year-old marked his return by being Wales’ leading finisher.

He struck twice in the first half, after his backline spread the ball to the outside, punishing a very poor defending display by the All Blacks.

And in the second half, he crossed one more time before ultimately having his afternoon cut short before the hour mark.

“Not a bad afternoon. Tommy was his biggest critic when he got left out.

“His reaction in training has been incredible. Massively proud of Tommy and the group.”

3- “I thought there were some harsh calls”- Wales’ discipline proved costly in the end

One of the letdowns for Wales in the encounter was their discipline as the encounter went on. Replacement Gareth Thomas was sent to the bin, with the visitors close to the whitewash.

Whilst Taine Plumtree was sent off for a bunker review after a hit on Will Jordan, around the halfway line. A potential spell on the sidelines is expected.

“A couple of yellow cards. That build-up of pressure,” continued Tandy.

“I thought there were some harsh calls. There was a not rolling away which was hard on us.

“We felt a couple of moments and 50/50s that fell on the other side. It’s the small things in Test matches.

“From kick-offs, you want to exit rather than fumble the ball. The All Blacks will punish you.”

4- “We’ll call up a few”- Wales set to lose 13 players following All Blacks encounter

Tandy will now be without 13 players for the daunting clash against South Africa.

This is because they play their club rugby in England and France, as the game has been organised by the Welsh Rugby Union (WRU) outside of World Rugby’s international window.

“We’ll call up a few,” said Tandy.

“We might have to get a few reinforcements.”

“We’re hopeful,” added Tandy on the injury status of Aaron Wainwright, who dropped out of the match day 23 after the conclusion of the Captain’s Run.

“We were hopeful he’d be fine this weekend.”